Super Charged Smoothie

So I've been feeling like my Vitamix hasn't gotten enough attention lately so I decided to try some new smoothie/juice ideas with some super powerful ingredients. I bought some local organic purple kale (mouthful, right?) and a humongous bag of juicing carrots at costco last week so I started to recipe with these two ingredients. Kale is so great, as it has the highest amount of vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C out of all the cruciferous vegetables. Because of all the vitamins and antioxidants jammed packed in this leafy green it can taste pretty bitter, so if you're going to eat a lot of it I'd recommend steaming it for about 5 minutes (it tastes great with garlic and onion!). When juicing, I just use a small amount and make sure to add enough citrus and sweet to balance out the bitter flavor. Here's the recipe for this ridiculously energizing drink:

Super Charged Smoothie

• 2 medium leaves organic purple kale
• 1/2 honey crisp apple
• 1 medium carrot
• 1/2 medium ripe avocado
• 2 T lemon juice (fresh or not from concentrate)
• 1/2 inch cube fresh ginger
• about 2 cups water, or more to desired consistency

As you can tell, the ingredients are simple and most of the work will be up to your blender (no better time than now to invest in something better than the tempting $19.99 one at walmart!). The texture will really depend on the quality of blender you have, so if you make the smoothie and feel like you're eating a fruity kale salad than consider yourself warned;).

On another note, you may feel like buying a batman suit and jumping off buildings after drinking this super smoothie (wouldn't surprise me!), so be sure to drink responsibly and know that your potential could be so much greater than you think! Remember, your body is CRAVING these nutrients..just sayin.

Enjoy!




P.S. To read more about the health benefits of avocados, check out my Holy GuacaMOlly recipe here. Also, if you haven't heard about carrots and how they will improve your health you should probably check this recipe out too: :)

"Treat Yoself" Sweet Potato Muffins

Here's an ideal dinner menu before you splurge on the treats:) Props goes to: Jenny Matlock



Fall has definitely arrived here in Portland and I can't even begin to describe how beautiful it is. After spending 4 years in Bloomington, Indiana, I honestly believed that I had experienced the most beautiful fall season on the planet. Unfortunately, Portland has changed that opinion for me. Sorry Hoosiers!

All of this chilly overcast weather has encouraged me to spend a lot more time by the stove baking/cooking new fall recipes. So far, my favorite recipe has been my sweet potato muffins. Surprisingly, they don't taste much like actual sweet potatoes at all and the flavor is perfect for the holidays. I can't promise that eating 5 of these a day will improve your health, but if you're going to "treat yoself" (Parks and Rec reference..watch short clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBBAyWLX6dE ), then I would strongly suggest trying this recipe as it is definitely on the healthier side of baked treats.

"Treat Yoself" Sweet Potato Muffins

1C cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 C organic unsweetened apple sauce
1/2C chopped walnuts
1T egg substitute (1T flax meal w/ 3T H2O)
1/4C melted coconut oil
2T molasses
1t pure vanilla extract
1/2 C organic brown sugar
1t cinnamon
1/2t ginger
1t nutmeg
1t baking soda
1t baking powder
1/2 t sea salt
2C flour (I used buckwheat, but for fluffier muffins use spelt)


Directions: Set oven to 350. Combine wet ingredients (sweet potato, apple sauce, flax, coconut oil, brown sugar, molasses) but make sure to allow flax to sit for at least 5 minutes before adding. Next, combine spices, baking soda/powder, salt and flour in a separate bowl and add to wet mixture. Stir in chopped walnuts to mixture. Grease muffin pans with coconut oil and cook for 12-15minutes (time may increase depending on flour used or depth of muffin pans). Optional: add dark chocolate chips on top..I promise you won't regret it. Remember, treat yoself!


*Note: I swapped the raisins above with walnuts

As for the health benefits of these treats, you can't go wrong with sweet potato as it is one of the highest sources of beta-carotene (raising blood levels of vitamin A). There are also many anthocyanins present in sweet potatoes which have great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. As a quick note, you can greatly increase the health benefits of sweet potatoes by boiling or steaming them instead of baking them. Also, adding 3.5grams of fat to the potatoes will lower the glycemic index of the potatoes and potentially improve the nutrient absorption in our bodies. I'd highly recommend using seasonal root vegetables during this time of year as they are nature's way of protecting our immune systems and giving us delicious "comfort food" when its chilly outside.


Enjoy!



References:

www.whfoods.org